Forums and ezines

Friday, July 10, 2009

A few months ago I posted a rant about dumb things GW does. The subject of that post was my displeasure with the difficulty obtaining GW bases. To balance that post I feel it is time to point out something that I like about GW. Don't get me wrong, it is not hard to point out good stuff about GW, I am a fan after all. It is just not something that I, or most other gamers, do all that often. It is far easier to complain than to praise.

For the last couple of years GW has been releasing some truly amazing terrain kits. These new products have reach an entirely new level with the release of the kits to support the 40K Cities of Death expansion. The ruined building were a huge leap forward for GW terrain offerings, and, even though I feel the kits were actually designed with 54mm Inquisitor models in mind, are incredibly flexible.

Building on the the success of the new urban terrain kits GW released a new line of hills, trees and fantasy building kits. The new building kits include a watch towers, a mannor house, walls and shrines. These have the same, if not better, flexibility of the urban kits.

Games Workshop has also released a brilliant battlemat. This mat is made of fabric with a grass texture. The quality of this mat is amazing and for only $30 is one of the best deals GW has ever offered. In addition to the battlemat GW has release the truly amazing Battlescape modular terrain boards. The board are made of heavy plastic and allow for several different configurations. While this is a very expensive product the quality and durability of these boards are unmatched. I really can't wait to get one.

The new Planetstrike release for 40K has brought with it a bunch of new terrain kits in support. These include various fortifications, a landing pad and new craters and blasts markers.

Since most of these new terrain kits are made of the same plastic as the rest of the GW line they are very easy to modify and kit-bash, allowing an infinite amount of uses. When you look at the quality and flexibility of these kits it is even more amazing that the price-point for the majority is between $20 and $40.

Terrain is a very important, but often overlooked, aspect of the miniature hobby. I think that an average painted army on a nice table is much better than the most amazingly painted figures on cheap, sloppy terrain. So, with all this cool stuff get out an build some terrain!

Then there are the games that have been retired. Not all of these are bad. In fact some are really great. The reasons for retirement are varied.

Wings of Glory

Kings of War

The Great WarEmpire of the DeadClash of EmpiresLord of the Rings:SBGWarhammer Ancient BattlesBattleground World War 2Arc of FireJohnny Reb IIICrossfireRules of EngagementRate of FireLegends of the High SeasNecromundaWaterlooLegends of the Old West